Secrets Unveiled
by XDarknessX
Summary: Alexia thinks taking care of a dragon is just taking care of a dragon, but what happens when she is told the truth of what she is now? *Currenlt stopped*
1. In The Beginning

**Chapter 1**

Alexia's brown eyes examined the perfect purple stone she had found whilst searching for wood near the Igualda Falls this morning. The traders had been later than previous years and she now had nothing to do. She was in her room thinking how much it would be worth. Besides, she was13 and knew her father would be shouting again if she didn't start finding money of her own to use. Well she was a teenager. She was quite tall and slender, dirty brown hair falling just past her shoulders tied up with a battered piece of leather. Her ears were not rounded as every human, but slightly pointed. No one noticed it much as she was careful to hide them behind her hair in public.

She was dressed simply: a cream blouse and brown skirt and her feet were covered with cheap leather shoes.

"Alexia, we have a _visitor _tonight and it's time for supper." A sharp male voice shouted. Alexia sighed.

"Yes father." She knew what it meant. She was born left-handed, so she had to use her right hand to do everything until the visitors left in other words, act like a normal right-handed teenager.

Her parents were already disappointed Alexia wasn't a boy when she was born and that her ears were slightly pointed, but being left-handed was a bit too much. After months of debating and months of neglection, they finally agreed to keep her only if she didn't show she was left-handed to anyone else.

Alexia looked into her small round mirror on her desk and tried to look presentable. After letting down her hair that covered her ears and setting her stone on the desk on some parchment as a paperweight, she walked silently down the stairs into the dining room.

Supper was frustrating for Alexia and it was hard to control her shaking hand. She was exhausted by the end of it and when Juliette went to wash the dishes, she retreated to her room and examined the purple stone once more.

By the afternoon, the traders finally arrived and her parents gave Alexia some money for her to spend.

"For being so good with visitors."

Her first stop though, was Merlock's tent, a trader who specialized in strange trinkets and jewelry. As Alexia neared the tent, Merlock brought out some brooches that were obviously made with much care and skill.

"Would you like to see some of my newest collection of brooches? They came all the way from Surda."

"I'm not looking to buy this time."

She brought out the purple stone from her pocket and gave it to Merlock to examine. Without a word, he went inside his tent, so Alexia followed. After looking through it with a jeweler's glass, he proceeded to tap it with his finger. It produced a sharp, clear sound. Then, he gently tapped with a wooden mallet. It produced another clear sound. Merlock straightened up and said,

"I've never seen anything like this before. Firstly, it is unbreakable, even with the most powerful hammer." Alexia nodded, motioning for him to carry on.

"The stone is made up of two colours of the same substance: purple and white. As well as that, the stone is hollow, as you may have noticed, when the sounds rang. Sadly, I do not know how much it is worth and I advise you to sell to some traders who specialize in these sorts of things. I can name a few but I'm not taking the risk of buying it now." Alexia nodded again.

"Well, can I ask you not to mention this to anyone?"

"Of course." When she turned to leave, he spoke again.

"Just out of interest, where did you find this?"

"Near the Igualda Falls. I thought it was some kind of jewel, before I dug it out and noticed it was a stone. I thought it would be enough to buy some meat for my parents."

"Ah."

"Well, thanks for examining it for me."

"My pleasure." Alexia exited and found a boy of about her age and an older man sitting on a stone step, waiting for the women to disperse so they could get to Merlock. Without a second glance at them, she walked away, the stone tucked carefully inside her skirt pocket when the boy looked at it.

During the next few days, nothing unusual happened. The stone was placed on Alexia's desk and she thought no more of it.

During one night, Alexia was awakened by small squeaks. She first thought of rodents, but the squeaks were alien to her and she was sure rodents didn't sound like that. The squeaking stopped. Feeling uneasy, she fell asleep again.

Alexia woke up with a start. At first, she didn't know what woke her. A slow rocking sound reached her ears, then the alien squeaks. She took out the dagger from under her pillow, climbed out of bed and glanced around. Her eyes fell on the stone. It was no longer stationary, but rocking back and forth. Cracks had appeared on the outside. Frightened, she remembered Merlock's words. _It is unbreakable, even with the most powerful hammer._ She waited patiently, out of curiosity. _It's worth nothing now, anyway. Might as well find out it the inside's worth more._ Suddenly, a large part of the stone flew away, just missing her face

When the stone was completely broken, a purple winged lizard the length of Alexia's arm stood on the desk, staring at her. It had an almost oval shaped head, two fangs protruding from its jaw. Its scales shimmered in the moonlight and the tail was swishing to and fro. The dragon's dark eyes started to search for something and when it came to the edge of the desk, it let out a frightened squeak. Alexia, with her quick reflexes, caught it with her arms but when she touched it, immense pain took over her body. It was as though fire was burning through her bones, her left palm feeling more pain than the rest of her body. She screamed, trying to move but something kept her still. It felt like hours before the pain subsided and when it did, footsteps were hurrying to her room. Juliette opened the door and both her parents burst in.

"What on Alagaësia are y-" Kyle stopped when he saw what Alexia was holding. His eyes flashed fire and all of a sudden, he was breathing heavily.

"That is IT! You have five minutes to get your belongings and your MONSTER and NEVER RETURN!

"I suggest you keep your abnormalities to yourself for when they find out who you really are, they will never look at you again. I only tell you this because we will not be meeting again and we're not your parents; you came here in a bundle of blankets, a letter attached, telling us we need to take care of you. That's what we did. We worked harder and got you clothes and you lived how you liked as long as you follow some simple rules every household would have. But now, now you have gone too far, keeping that, _thing_ in this house. You will leave Carvahall and shoot yourself to save someone else the bother." He slammed the door behind himself and his wife.

As the last of the information slowly went to her brain, she sprang into action. I need to pack. She took out a bag to put everything in and packed two sets of clothes and as many possessions in it as she could. Walking silently to the shop till, she took out as much money as she could.

The front door slammed behind Alexia and the dragon. _Well, what now?_ The dragon nudged her knee and started tugging on her skirt in the direction of a forest.

"Alright, I'm going!" This dragon was the reason she had no home now, but all the same she was grateful for it. _No more acting to visitors, as I will remain unnoticed. I choose to be free!_

When they reached the forest, Alexia found a secluded place to stay. _For now, anyway_. Something brushed her mind and she took out her dagger from her worn boot, looking around. The dragon squeaked and it brushed her mind again. This time she could feel hunger. Pondering for a minute, she looked at the dragon.

"That was you, wasn't it?" It replied with a squeak. Alexia took that for a yes.

"But I don't kill animals, it's like killing yourself in a different body." The dragon blinked, then squeaked again, brushing her mind again.

"Fine, but I'm only killing this once. I'm buying the meat until you can hunt, I cannot bear to kill more than I need to." She set off in the direction of what she hoped had dead game to save her the misery of killing them herself. All the same, she carried her bow and quiver.

A while later, Alexia returned with a dead rabbit and red eyes. She prepared it and cut it into small squares with her dagger and held one piece for the dragon to sniff, careful not to touch it again. It snapped it up and touched Alexia's hand for more. She was stiff when it touched her, preparing for the pain again. When it didn't come and she had a sudden desire to scratch her left palm she slowly turned it over and nearly screamed again. In the middle of her palm was an oval of shimmering white. If she wanted to go into cities to buy meat, she would have to hide it or someone will notice. _Great, I might as well hide my whole body from the world._ Alexia thought bitterly as she pulled out some leather gloves, slipping them on. She continued feeding the dragon until it could eat no more and had curled into Alexia's arms and went to sleep. Alexia rested on the trunk of a large tree and sleep took over her.

The next morning Alexia awoke before sunrise, her back and neck feeling stiff. She stretched and stood up to relieve her cramped legs, before remembering the dragon. It was sitting besides her, staring. _You seem to do that a lot._ All she got was a squeak. It brushed her mind and Alexia sensed hunger again. Vowing never to take care of another dragon as long as they eat meat, she took her purse and started to set off, before realizing that most of the people in Carvahall won't be awake. Dropping her purse and telling the dragon to stay where it was, she set off to Sloan's shop. She smiled evilly at the thought of stealing from her most hated enemy.

When she got back with as much meat as she could carry and a bag of fruit slung over her back, she started cutting up the meat. After feeding the dragon she started on breakfast whilst watching it explore the surroundings. When she finished, she thought of how she and the dragon, which she still needed to name, would survive in the forest. She couldn't stay here, someone could find her but she didn't have a map of Alagaësia to go by. _Soon, the dragon will grow too big for this place, but I don't know where to go_. Her thoughts were interrupted by a large _snap!_ of a twig. She sprang up, bow ready. There was a rustle and someone stepped into view.


	2. Discovering Another

**Thanks for the reviews everyone!**

**Last Chapter: Her thoughts were interrupted by a large _snap!_ of a twig. She sprang up, bow ready. There was a rustle and someone stepped into view.**

**Chapter 2**

Alexia couldn't believe it. It was the boy she saw outside Merlock's tent!

"What are you doing here?" The boy asked.

"I should be asking you that." Alexia retorted and dropped her bow checking her hair was still covering her ears. "I just like the forest so I sleep here every other day." She continued anyway.

"Really? I've not seen you here with your _dragon_ and I've been here every morning since last week."

"I-I-I don't have a dragon! That one's a stray, I'm just taking care of it." A sudden squeak ended their conversation and Alexia looked around. It wasn't her dragon's sound. Next to her dragon though, was another dragon, blue in colour and a bit bigger than the purple one. She turned to the boy triumphant.

"I suppose _this_ is yours?"

"Fine, this is mine. Now we both have dragons."

"Really, this one's my friend's."

"Ah. So which one is it, stray or friend's?" He smiled smugly.

"Both." Alexia smiled mysteriously. There was a few minutes of silence before the blue dragon gave another squeak. The boy went over and started petting it.

"So, what's your name?" The boy asked. The two dragons were playing and Alexia and he were lying down watching the sunrise. They had decided to get to know each other.

"Alexia. Yours?"

"Eragon."

"How old are you?"

"15."

"13."

"What! You can't raise a dragon at thirteen!" Alexia stood up, boiling in anger.

"And why is that? I'm doing just fine! I have enough money; I have it all planned out! Besides, I turn 14 tomorrow."

"So you only think you're raising a dragon to take care of it?" She rolled her eyes.

"What else would I be doing, raising dragons for meat? That's just sick." She added.

"So you've never heard of any Rider stories?"

"Listen you, you may have enough time to listen to people making up stuff but I don't! Life is too short for stories! You have to go." With that, Eragon looked up at the sky. He looked at Alexia and then left for his house. She waited until he was out of sight, then, deciding that they needed to go before anyone else discovered them, grabbed all her ribbons and the rest of her clothes and set off to sell them in order to buy a horse and a map.

By the afternoon, Alexia had sold most of the things she anted to and had bought some riding breeches, new boots and a new blouse. She had been advised to go to Therinsford for a horse. The dragon watched Alexia prepare the meat and when it was full played with the blue dragon. _Before I go on my journey, I want to see all of Carvahall. Besides, my dragon will need to be a bit bigger to fly, and even bigger for me to fly on it._ She smiled as she thought of flying on her dragon. _That would be the best thing that happens to me._ She talked to her dragon about her past and what she thought about everything.

"You're really pretty, you know." She said, petting the dragon. The dragon squeaked again and she smiled.

By nightfall, Eragon was here again after she had fed the purple dragon. She started on her own dinner. As the blue dragon could hunt now, Eragon brought nothing but a grim expression. He sat down next to Alexia.

"You're a Rider"

"That's nice."

"No, you are."

"What?" Eragon sighed, trying to calm himself.

"You. Are. A. Rider."

"Sorry, not heard that story and I don't intend to."

"I will force you to then." He waited patiently for her to finish her food.

"Sorry, do you want any? I have loads." She held out some berries.

"No. I'm fine."

"Ok." When she finished, Eragon said;

"Hold out your hand."

"Which one? I have two."

"Your. Right. Hand." Eragon said. Alexia smirked in her mind and held out her gloved hand.

"Now take your glove off and we'll see if this is your dragon." Smiling now, she slowly, she took off her glove revealing,

"Nothing." Eragon growled furiously. Then, a male voice behind Alexia said;

"Try the other hand." They both turned around and saw an old man with eyes that showed lots of knowledge.

"Brom?" Eragon said. The old man nodded.

"How did you find us?" He asked.

"I followed you. Now, what about that other hand?"

Alexia shifted uncomfortably and turned her head down so that all they could see was a curtain of brown hair. After a few minutes, Eragon grabbed her left hand and shoved off her glove, revealing the shimmering oval on her palm. A second, later, with immense strength for a thirteen year old girl, she pulled away from his grip and ran so fast she disappeared a second later. Eragon stood and turned to face Brom.

"She's left handed."

"She's more than that." Eragon looked at Brom inquisitively. The old man only smiled and said,

"She'll tell you in her own time."

Alexia stood beside an old gnarled tree and let all her tears and anger she bottled up for the past ten years. She pounded the tree as hard as she could over and over again, relieving the anger. She screamed until she had no breath left. The teenager stood panting, tears flowing freely and dripping onto the grass, trickles of blood coming from her knuckles.

"Why me?" Alexia whispered through tears, to no one in particular. Hours passed by and her little dragon came into view.

"Hello dragon." She scooped it up.

"Don't you just hate life sometimes? Well I despise it now. They're going to tell everyone in Alagaësia I'm deformed and then I suppose I'll get shot with an arrow. Yes, I can just picture it now…" Images of angry villagers came into her head. They were all shouting something, a faceless man stood high on a rock and released an arrow flying straight to her heart, everyone laughing mercilessly…

Alexia shot up from her dreams panting heavily, sweat dripping from her face. The dragon brushed her mind again, this time she could tell it was trying to calm her down. Pictures of waterfalls flashed through her mind. She smiled, then a thought came to her mind. _Yes! Thank you dragon!_ She picked it up and kissed its nose. _Come on, we're moving._ The dragon squeaked its reply. Alexia stood up, remembering all her stuff had been in her not-so secluded place now. She ran silently, faster than any human could and packed all her things into the bag and after retrieving her dragon, ran to the base of Igualda Falls. _Hold your breath, we're going in._ The dragon squeaked and puffed its chest out. Laughing at the sight, they went through the waterfall. What they saw was an empty, spacious cave, the river flowing at the side. _See? No one will ever find us here. I only found this cave when I found you. You might as well familiarize with it, as we'll be living here until I die._ The dragon explored it's new home.

Over the next month, the dragon grew rapidly. Its squeak became a low grumble and it could speak to Alexia instead of just communicating with images. It soon became taller than Alexia; it's head nearly reaching the top of the cave when it stretched. _Well so much for living here and seeing the whole of Carvahall._ The dragon had learnt to hunt and there was a large supply of food for Alexia. _We were living so peacefully aswell._

_When are you going to give me a name?_ Alexia hit her head.

_I knew I missed something!_ The dragon snorted.

_Um, I don't know many but here are the ones I know. Othorus?_

_No._

_Urobane?_

_No._

_Um, that's all I know._

_Make some up then._

Some minutes later, something clicked in Alexia's head.

"You're a female dragon!" The dragon snorted again.

_Of course. I can't believe you didn't notice my voice._

_I can't believe you didn't tell me!_ It made a strange sound. It sounded like coins and pots jingling together.

_Hey, don't laugh. Everyone makes mistakes._

_Okay, sorry._

_So, a female name. Iduana, Arai, Ayda, Sutay-_

_Yes._

_Sutay?_

_No, Ayda. _**(AN: EYE-duh)**

_Okay, Ayda._

_Yes, I like it._

_Aye._

For a few moments, everything was silent until Alexia heard someone coming through the waterfall. She grabbed her already strung bow and pointed it to the entrance of the cave, her palm shimmering as she had not asked for her glove back. A head bobbed up, and then another. Alexia immediately identified them as Brom and Eragon. Her mouth twitched, but other than that she gave no sign of emotion, although inside she felt like releasing the arrow straight into Eragon.

"What do you want?" She asked coolly. Brom held up his arms.

"Peace, sit and I will tell you everything." Alexia eyed them both but when they sat down and she didn't see any weapons on either of them, she placed her bow down and sat opposite them while Ayda sat behind her protectively.

"A dragon hatched for you, yes?" She nodded slightly, gesturing to Ayda.

"Do you know the legend of the Riders?"

"No."

"This is going to take a long time." Eragon muttered. Alexia glared at him.

"Hush, now is not the time for arguments." Brom told Alexia and Ayda everything about what they were, about the Varden and about King Galbatorix. They were silent, drinking in all the information Brom said.

"And now, King Galbatorix knows there is a new Rider in Alagaësia and is sending his people to hunt them down, which is why we have to get to the Varden."

"What about elves? I've heard they were very powerful. Why don't you go find them?"

"The Elves were very secretive so they didn't reveal their place to anyone." They sat there silently.

"Why do I have to go with you? No one has come here until you two came. I'm sure no one else will find it."

"Exactly, we found it so it isn't a very good hiding place!"

"Eragon, calm down. You're going to have to come anyway, anyone can find you if you don't keep moving."

_They are right little one, mabe we should follow them._

_Don't get into this Ayda._ She snorted but didn't say anything else._  
_

"How do I know this is true? You could be the enemies!" Brom sighed.

"I'm sorry, but this is for your own good. Eragon." He stood up and pointed his palm at Alexia.

"Slytha." Instant drowsiness washed over Alexia and the only thing she could hear now was Ayda. _Sorry, but it is for your own good-_ and she could hear no more.


	3. The Start Of A New Life

**Last Chapter: "Slytha." Instant drowsiness washed over Alexia and the only thing she could hear now was Ayda. _Sorry, but it is for your own good-_ and she could hear no more.**

**Thanks for your reveiws! It's you who make me write. -Cookie Handouts to reveiwers- **

**I don't own Inheritance. **

**Chapter 3**

When Alexia woke up, she was propped up against a tree in an unfamiliar place. It was nighttime and she could hear a fire cackling nearby. Turning towards the heat, she saw Eragon and Brom. Hatred filled Alexia's eyes as she glared at Eragon's hair. She started to get up but her throbbing head told her not to. Slumping down again, Ayda came into view.

_Ayda, where the hell are we?_

_A forest._

_Haha, no seriously._

_I would have no idea._

_Hmph._

"I see you have woken." Brom said, carrying a half-skinned rabbit and a knife. Alexia grunted. Brom went back to skinning the rabbits. She checked her ears were still covered.

_Ayda, did they see, me?_

_No, I carried you here._

_Then you know how to get back._

_Yes, I do but I'm not going to. I told you you shouldn't have argued._

_Yeah yeah._ She sighed in defeat.

_Ayda?_ Ayda let out a long breath.

_Yes dear?_

_Where's my headache remedy?_

_With all your other stuff dear._ Ayda pointed her head towards the fire. There, Alexia spotted her bag. When the purple dragon turned to leave for hunting, Alexia spoke to her again.

_Oh Ayda?_

_Yes darling?_

_Don't call me that. Could you get me my bag?_

_No._

_Pretty please?_

_No._

_Pretty please with a blackberry on top?_

_No._

_What about a rabbit? _

_No. Get it yourself. I'm hungry._ Alexia watched Ayda disappear before thinking, _Stupid dragon!_

_I heard that._

_I don't care._ She closed the connection and slowly stood up. She walked gingerly to the fire. When at last she reached it she sat down and rooted in her bag. After pulling out a small vial of blue liquid she uncorked the lid and sipped a little. Forcing down the foul taste her headache was instantly cured. Placing the vial back inside, she went to her other bag and found her supper. A cooked rabbit was thrown next to her. She looked up and saw Eragon.

"What do you want me to do with it?" She asked icily.

"It's your supper."

"You expect me to eat that?" Eragon rolled his eyes.

"No, I expect you to bring it back to life, what else do you do with cooked meat?"

"No thanks."

"What?"

"I don't eat animals."

"But you can't live on fruit and bread!"

"Watch me! I'm sick of you acting as if I were a small child!" Alexia grabbed her bags and started to run in what she hoped was the right direction.

_Ayda! We're leaving._ She flashed a picture of where she was going to her loyal dragon. A few minutes later, purple wings were seen beside her. She stopped and Ayda stopped beside her. They were far out of the forest but Alexia still didn't know where she was.

_Do you think we're far enough away from them?_

_I expect so; you've been running for so long._

_Good, we'll sleep here. Running takes the life out of you._

_It would, you ran over five leagues in such a short amount of time._

_Well, keeps me fit._

_I still think we shouldn't have left. We're on our own now, what happens when we get attacked?_

_We won't they're just making it up._ She pulled out a cream and brown blanket and lay it on the floor. She reached for her riding breeches and shirt and changed behind a bush, pulling the dirty clothing off. _Too bad there isn't a lake nearby. _Moving back to her blanket, which served as a matress, _s_he brought out another blanket and covered herself with it.

_Night Ayda._

_Good night little one._

Alexia was riding a blue roan horse far out in the Hadarac Desert. She was laughing at something when all of a sudden, the horse grew wings and started flying high up in the sky. She felt her hair flying behind, the wind cooling her red face. Ayda was flying beside her, the purple scales glittering beautifully in the sun.

"I'm free!" She called out to the world.

"I'm free I'm free I'm free!" Then the sky went black and her horse tipped over. She screamed, trying to find it's reins but she grasped on to thin air. She was falling rapidly. She could hear people laughing mercilessly, an arrow speeding to her chest…

Alexia bolted up from her 'bed' and looked around. It was sunrise but she was back in the forest.

_AYDA! _she yelled in her mind, forgetting her nightmare.

_What?_ She thought irritably. Such a peaceful sleep to be ruined.

_What am I doing back here?_

_You said it was exercise._

_AARGH! _The dragon snickered. Alexia made to get up but when she tried to walk she found her legs wouldn't move and she fell flat on the grass.

"Ouch." She said, rolling over and seeing her ankles were tied with rope. She pulled at the knot, but to no avail.

_Oh Ayda?_ She thought sweetly.

_Yes princess?_

_Could you pretty please untie me RIGHT NOW!_

_They're waking up now._

_Please? Wait, what?_

_I said they're waking up now._ Alexia groaned.

_You could quickly untie me and then I can run, you can go wherever you want if you don't want to follow._

_Oops, left it a little late._ Alexia sat up and saw Eragon coming to her. She groaned inwardly, muttering every single curse she knew to Eragon and Brom. _They had no right to tie me up and steal my dagger from my shoe! My shoe for dragon's sake!_

_It's a boot._

_Shut it._

"Hello little runaway. Long day ahead of you." Alexia said nothing, checking her hair. She looked around and spotting her bag, moved towards it, hoping to find something sharp _and more importantly, breakfast._ Eragon made no move to stop her or help her. She huffed, _I wouldn't expect it anyway, old cow._

She finally got to her destination and started searching for something, anything to cut away the rope. She felt vulnerable and useless. _Especially when Ayda isn't helping._

_I heard that._

_Of course you would, you don't let me have privacy, it's like you're my conscience or something._

_I _am_ your conscience and you're mine._ She irritably severed contact with Ayda when she found nothing sharp in her mass of belongings. Feeling extremely annoyed that someone had rooted in her personal belongings, she started on a breakfast of bread, cursing everyone that came into her mind. _Eragon, hmm, oh! Killed by blood loss!_

"Alexia?" She jumped then saw who it was.

"Eragon."

"Brom wants to talk to you."

"Okay." Eragon waited a few minutes.

"Well are you going to talk to him?"

"Yes." He waited a few more minutes.

"Brom wants to talk to you now!"

"Get him over here then, I'm practically disabled!"

Alexia let out a short scream when Eragon gripped her right arm and started dragging her across the grass. He stopped and dropped her next to Brom and then turned to his dragon.

"Ah, we meet again." _Death by torture, definitely._ Brom laughed.

"Now when you finished killing me I'll cut the ropes but don't run away." Alexia stopped reluctantly. _He can read my thoughts, old hag_. Brom picked up his dagger _wait, that's mine_, and slashed at the ropes. Alexia stood up quickly and stretched her cramped legs. She looked at Brom who was holding out her dagger. She accepted it and placed it in the usual place; in her left boot.

"Now you can walk, I want to teach you how to fight with a sword. Excuse me for a moment." He bent down and rustled in his bag. _Okay, maybe he's all right._ When he straightened up he held out a stick in the shape of a sword. She took it and gripped it tightly in her left arm. _They already know anyway._

"Now…"

Alexia dropped the makeshift sword and collapsed. _I was wrong, he is an old hag! _ Her whole body hurt and was probably full of bruises. Brom had been anything _but_ easy on her this morning. She had only been able to block a few of his easier blows but she didn't even have a chance to attack let alone bruise him. Alexia gasped when she tried to move her right leg. She was distracted by someone sniggering at her. Brom took that time to nearly break her leg. _You will definitely pay Eragon! You'll see. I'm not as weak as you think._

_Oh really? From what I saw you couldn't even touch the old one._

_You know it's times like these when I wish I sold your egg._ Ayda snorted in reply.

Alexia started on her own lunch away from the other two who were watching over a pot. When she finished, Brom had her and Eragon sit side-by-side facing him. In front of them both was a small pebble.

"Alexia, I'm going to teach you magic. As I said before, do not attempt to do anything beyond your strength, as you can very well die from it. Eragon." He nodded towards him. Eragon stared at the stone and whispered;

"Stenr reisa." The pebble rose up level with his eye. It then slowly spun round in a circle twice and then was lowered back.

"Just do what you can Alexia." Brom said. She nodded then turned to the stone.

"Stenr reisa!" The pebble lifted and Alexia willed it to rise up to eye level.

"Good, now if you don't feel tired, spin it round." Brom muttered so as not to startle Alexia and make her lose concentration. The pebble spun round in a circle twice, as Eragon did. Feeling nothing, she spun it round again. Spinning it round a total of five times and still feeling nothing, she lowered it back down. She looked at Brom, then Eragon. Brom's face was unreadable while Eragon's was suspicious. Just then, she felt someone probing her mind. The pain made her put up a barrier of shields and shoot arrows to the intruder. Pained, it retreated. Satisfied, she turned back to Brom. He was packing up everything. Turning back to Eragon she realized who attacked her mind.

"You!"

"What?" He said stiffly.

"You went into my mind!"

"You're not normal, you could be a spy for Galbatorix. You don't just spin a pebble round and feel nothing." Tears welled up and threatened to fall.

"Yes, I'm abnormal! Deformed! Whatever you want to call me! But you do need to use your brain. If I were a spy, I would be following you, writing down everything you do and then reporting back to Galbatorix! I wouldn't be taking useless lessons!" She hung her head hiding her tear-stained cheeks.

_Ayda, where are you?_

With Saphira.

_Ok. Just checking._

_What's wrong?_

_Oh nothing much._

_What did Eragon do this time?_

_He did nothing, stop acting like a mother!_ She severed the connection then spoke in a calmer voice.

When Alexia looked up she saw the two males talking to each other, occasionally glancing at her. Finally, Brom came over to her.

"Time to pack up, we're going to Therinsford to see if we can get some horses. It's not far from here. Maybe half a day's walk."

"Ok." She got up, put everything into her bag and stood next to Brom. He had a map out which had scribbles and arrows everywhere in childish writing. It pained her to know that even a child could read and write but she herself couldn't.

**-Flashback-**

A six year old child wakled timidly to her mother. She pulled at the bottom of her skirt, getting her attention.

"What now Alexia?"

"Can you teach me to write? I want to write a letter to my friends who's going to Surda." She heard an exaperated sigh.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to make friends with anyone suspicious, you're better off learning to make your own clothes than somethig as usless as write. And keep your hair down when near the window! No go away, I'm busy." The child hung her head and extied the kitchen.

**-End Flashback-**

"Is this yours?" She asked Brom.

"Nay, I just found it lying on the floor."

"Oh."

All the way to Therinsford the three were silent. Ayda and Saphira had flown ahead for safety. They reached a bridge and a greasy man jumped out from behind a bush, blocking their way.

"You c'n stop right there. This's my bridge. Gotta pay t'get over."

Brom pulled out his purse.

"How much?" He asked in a resigned voice. The bridge keeper immediately brightened. His cracked lips formed a broad smile.

"Five crowns." Alexia saw Eragon tense at the price. He started to shout but Brom silenced him with a look. He handed the coins over and the man put them in a pouch that hung from his belt.

"Thank'ee much." He said in a mocking tone and let them pass. As Brom stepped forward, he purposely stumbled and grabbed the bridge keeper's arm to 'support himself' while he cut his purse. Eragon was too angry to notice.

"Watch y're step!" He snarled, sidling away.

"Sorry." Apologized Brom. They continued over the bridge. When they were out of earshot, Eragon let his temper out.

"Why didn't you haggle? He skinned you alive! He probably doesn't even own the bridge. We could have pushed right past him."

"Probably."

"Then why pay him?" Alexia smirked at his stupidness.

"Because you can't argue with all the fools in the world. It's easier to let them have their way, then trick them when they're not paying attention." The old man opened his hand, revealing a pile of coins.

"You cut his purse!" exclaimed Eragon. Brom pocketed the money. He grabbed the shoulder of a young boy and asked him;

"Do you know where we can buy horses?" The child stared at him, then pointed to a large barn near the edge of the city.

"Thank you." Said Brom, tossing him a coin.

The barn's far wall was filled with saddles harnesses and other pieces of tack. There were two long rows of stalls. A man with muscular arms beckoned them to come over. He had a snow-white horse next to him. As they approached, Alexia gasped.

"He's beautiful." She said, stroking the horse.

"Yes indeed. Name's Snowfire. Mine's Haberth." There was a polite pause as he waited for their names. When they were silent, he asked;

"Can I help you?" Brom nodded.

"We need three horses and a full set of tack for each. The horses have to be fast and tough; we'll be doing a lot of traveling." Haberth was thoughtful for a moment.

"I don't have many animals like that and the ones I do aren't cheap."

"Price is no object. I'll take the best you have." Replied Brom. Haberth nodded and tied Snowfire to a stall. Alexia watched Haberth pull down saddles and other items. He then went to the stalls and brought out three horses. One was a light bay, another a piebald and the other a roan. The bay tugged against his rope.

"He's a little spirited but with a firm hand you won't have any problems." Said Haberth. He handed the rope to Brom, who let it smell his hand and allow it to rub his neck. He did the same for the piebald. He eyed the roan.

"We'll take these two. The roan, I'm not sure."

"There are some good legs on him." Brom pondered for a moment.

"Mmm…what will you take for Snowfire?" Haberth looked at the stallion, a faraway look in his eyes.

"I'd rather not sell him. He's the finest I've ever bred-I'm hoping to sire a whole line from him."

"If you were willing to part with him, how much would all of this cost me?" Eragon tried to put his hand on the bay like Brom, but it shied away. Alexia saw him pause for a moment and the horse calmed.

"Two hundred and seventy crowns and no less." Haberth said with a smile, confident that no-one would pay that much. Brown opened his pouched and counted the money.

"Will this do?" he asked Haberth. There was silence as he glanced at the money, then to Snowfire and then to the money again. He sighed.

"He is yours, though I go against my heart." Brom smiled.

"I will treat him as if he had been sired by Gilgintor, the greatest steed of legend."

"Your words gladden me." Answered Haberth and he bowed his head slightly. Then he helped Alexia saddle the piebald, who was having some difficulty. When they were ready to leave, he said;

"Farewell then. For the sake of Snowfire, I hope that misfortune does not befall you.

"Do not fear, I will guard him well." Brom promised.

"Here." He said, handing Eragon Snowfire's reins to Eragon. "Go to the far side of Therinsford with Alexia and wait there."

"Why?" Inquired Eragon, but Brom had already disappeared.

"Come on Alexia, let's not get lost again shall we?" They walked without another word and exited Therinsford with the horses waiting for Brom to come back. Alexia continued to stroke Snowfire, feeling she didn't want to have another arguement with Eragon right now.

**Reveiw please! Scientific knowledge says that reveiwing a story makes the writer update more quickly.**


	4. Dream Of Death

**Um, just to let you know in advance, I know nothing of archery except the things from the book, so don't blame me if I get anything wrong. You could point out stuff that's wrong to me in a review:) **

**Chapter 4**

When Brom came back, which seemed an eternity for Alexia, he gestured for Eragon and herself to follow him. When at last Brom felt safe they weren't going to be overheard, he explained that the Ra'zac had come this way.

"Apparently they stopped here to pick up horses, as we did." When he finished, Eragon patted the horses.

"When we were in the barn, I touched the bay's mind by accident. I didn't know it was possible to do that." Alexia contacted Ayda while Brom told Eragon something about touching minds of anything apart from their dragon.

_Ayda?_

_Yes, little one?_

_Err, I dunno. I guess I'm kinda bored._

_Okay…what do you want me to do about it?_

_I dunno. Hehe._

_Well, I think Brom's asking you something._

_What? Oh right._ Ending their conversation, she looked up at Brom.

"Pardon?"

"I was asking if you knew how to ride."

"Oh, yes. Of course I can." It was half the truth; she had a few lessons and knew how to move, but she never went faster then a trot. She had a feeling they were going to go faster than that most of the time.

"Okay, put everything from your packs into the saddlebags and tie the packs on top." Eragon and Alexia nodded. Then Alexia slowly climbed on. Eragon looked at the bay and with a sigh, he carefully got on.

"Will this do the same thing to my legs as riding Saphira?"

"How do they feel now?" Brom asked.

"Not too bad, but any hard riding might open them up again."

"Lets take it easy then." After giving Eragon a few pointers they set off at a gentle pace. Eragon and Brom were at the front, while Alexia went behind.

_Ayda?_

_You don't have to say my name all the time, you know I can hear you._

_Someone's touchy._ She heard a growl.

_Take that back._

_Why? You gonna burn our mental connection with smoke?_

_You're so-_

_Annoying?_

_That's the word. Anyway, why aren't you talking to Brom? Didn't you want to learn to write?_

_You should really stop creeping into my mind, it's getting scary._

_Fine, but don't blame me if I do it by accident._

_How can you get into my mind by accident!_ The conversation lasted for hours. Alexia trusted her horse to follow Snowfire so she wouldn't have to look where to go so she could properly talk with Ayda.

_Little one, you really should look where you're going._

_Yes mother. Really, stop calling me that!_

_Saphira uses it, besides, it's fun seeing you get angry and you can do nothing about it._

_Ooh I'm going to get you when I get the chance._

_Alexia, look where you're going._

_You already-_

"Oh!" Her horse had stopped abruptly and she hadn't prepared for it, thus nearly toppling over.

"Sorry." She mumbled after regaining herself.

"It's all right. We're making camp here. It will take us most of the day to make the descent.

"How far across is the plain?" Eragon asked amazed.

"Two or three days to more than a fortnight, depending on which way you go.. Aside from the nomad tribes that roam this section of the plains, it's almost as uninhabited as the Hadarac Desert to the east so we aren't going to find many villages. However, to the south, the plains are less arid and more heavily populated." They left the trail and dismounted by the Anora River. They unsaddled the horses and gave their horses names when prompted by Brom. The bay was now called Cadoc, Eragon's grandfather's name and the piebald was named Auroran, a name she particularly liked. When Saphira and Ayda landed, their Riders came to them.

_How was the flight?_

_Okay, we talked. About you and Eragon and how you two are always arguing._

_Carry on._

_Well we got to the conclusion it was like a love/hate relationship and-_ Alexia immediately severed contact with the purple dragon as it laughed.

"Um, I'm going to bathe." Alexia announced. Brom nodded. She and Ayda went to the river. Ayda covered her as she undressed and slipped into the icy water.

She dressed in a new shirt and breeches, washed her dirty clothes and went back to the camp. They all sat round the fire eating their supper.

When they had finished, Brom handed Alexia and Eragon a sword.

"Just do your best." Was all Brom said.

_Kill me right now. He's had loads more experience than me. No doubt he'll strike even harder than Brom._ Eragon smirked at her and then it started…

ERAGONELDEST

"Dead." Eragon said as he knocked Alexia's weapon from her hand and made to point his to her neck. Alexia saw that coming and instantly attacked his mind with arrows. Eragon fell back in pain, which gave her the time to snatch his weapon and point it to his chest.

"Dead." She smiled sweetly, mocking him.

"You cheated." He protested.

"No I didn't, I was saving my life."

"That is true. It's getting late now, to bed, both of you." Brom cut in.

Alexia lay in her blanket, thinking of her parents. I wonder who they are. Well they mustn't have wanted me, dumping me to strangers, they sure were desperate. Alexia drifted off to sleep, dreaming of her faceless parents, dumping her on the first doorstep they passed. Then an arrow came shooting to her heart…

Alexia bolted up in the darkness, her face full of sweat. She was panting heavily. Walking silently to the Anora River she splashed the cooling water on her face. _Every night now, why don't I stop the arrow?_

_What arrow? _She jumped slightly as Ayda asked her.

_I don't know what you're talking about._

_Come on, I know already, I just wanted you to tell me on your own._

_I don't have to anymore, like you said, you already know. What do you want me to do?_

_You could talk about it. It helps most of the time._

_Okay, I keep having a dream and at the end there is always an arrow speeding to my heart. It's about to hit me, then I wake up. I have this nagging feeling it's telling me something._

_Do you see who the shooter is?_

_I saw him once, he was about eighteen, but I never saw his face._

_Mm, maybe you should talk about it to the old one._

_Ayda have you lost your mind? It's a dream, he'll think I'm a five-year-old scared of the Urgal in the wardrobe._

_But this is about your death-_

_You don't know that, it's never hit me. I've told you and you act like my mother anyway so it's enough, isn't it?_

_I guess._

_Thanks, I do feel a lot better now._

_If you say so._ When Alexia got back they were still asleep. She packed her 'bed' and sat down on the ground.

_Do you think it's how I'll die?_

_Alexia._

_How old do you think I'll be when it happens? Who's going to shoot me?_

_You know what, let's talk about something else. This is making you depressed. Lets talk about, the sunrise? It's really nice sight._

_Yes, it really is a good start to the day. _The two remained silent as the sun crept up from the horizon. When the light was halfway in the air, Eragon and Brom woke up.

ERAGONELDEST

The descent was hard. In many places they had to find their way down themselves as the trail disappeared often and at times they had to dismount and lead the horses on foot, holding on trees to steady them. The ground was full of loose stones. They had to stop often to get the stones out of the horses' hooves. To add to that, Alexia had a new set of bruises; one particular one her side throbbed every time she mounted and dismounted as well as riding on Auroran. Te ordeal left them hot and irritable on the cold day.

At midday they had reached the bottom and they stopped to rest. Alexia scanned the flat plain around them. There was nothing to hide them; no hills or trees. The River veered to the left. The trail was split into three; one turned north toward Ceunon, the second led straight across the plains and the last turned south. Brom examined all three for traces of something, possibly Ra'zac and found their tracks heading to the grasslands.

"They've gone top Yazuac. It's due east four days away if nothing happens. It's a small village situated by the Ninor River." Brom explained.

"We need to replenish our water skins; there isn't another supply of water between here and Yazuac." After they had filled their water skins and let the horses drink, the two dragons landed to take a drink. They turned eastward and started the journey across the plains.

Ignoring the wind, Alexia turned her mind to Brom.

_Alexia?_

_Yes._

_What is it?_

_Well you said we were tracking down the Ra'zac._

_Ah, I knew you'd ask me soon. Soon after Saphira was able to carry Eragon on her back, he heard Sloan, a butcher whom he despised greatly telling someone of his blue stone. When he told Saphira, she got Eragon on her back and flew to the spines. The next afternoon, they returned and found his house in ruins. It was the Ra'zac. His father eventually died. I found him trying to sneak off and he told me everything, including you. He said that he had to find you, so we searched, practicing with wooden swords every night, as well as learning magic, to get revenge on the Ra'zac._

_Oh._ She paused for a moment, taking everything in. _I have one more question._

_Fire away._

_On the night I discovered magic, I felt no tiredness. I tried it again when you were asleep and ended up making it do somersaults high above my head and still I felt nothing. Why is this?_

_Probably because of your parents, they must have been very powerful with magic._ They continued silently and the wind picked up a little. She gasped when she felt her hair flying behind her. Covering them again, she kept her head low for the rest of the journey, not before making sure Eragon and Brom hadn't notice her ears.

_Are you sure they definitely didn't see them?_

_Look, just ask if you don't believe me!_

_I can't do that! They'll suspect something!_

_Then trust me when I say they didn't see them._

_Okay okay. Just warn me when we're about to stop all right?_

_Of course, if you'll listen._

_Oh I will this time. _

ERAGONELDEST

By the evening, the wind only worsened. They had to camp in the open as there was no shelter anywhere around them. Eragon had found some scrub brush and attempted to light them with his tinderbox. After several attempts and producing nothing but vile-smelling smoke, he resorted to magic.

"Brisingr!" Blue flames appeared this time and he stepped away.

As Brom cooked, Eragon and Alexia sparred again with Brom's wood. They fought with fatigue and wind, ending only when Alexia tripped and Eragon held his weapon to her neck. He withdrew quickly and trudged to the fire.

After dinner they went to sleep, Saphira and Ayda sheltering them from the harsh wind.

She was panting heavily, a sword in her hand full of blood. She heard something behind her and saw the arrow speeding to her heart. She looked at the shooter.

"No, Mur-" It sped to the target and her last breath died away as she felt a calm, warm sensation take over her…

"No!" Alexia bolted upright covered in sweat. When she looked up, it was still night. Brom and Eragon were beside her immediately.

"What happened?"

"Are you okay?" Brom looked at her his face full of concern.

"I-I'm fine. It's only a dream. Nothing much, go back to sleep."

"Saphira told me that you've been having these dreams every night." Eragon said.

"Well they don't mean anything. Really, it's just lack of sleep. I'll stop having them sooner or later. I'm fine, just go back to sleep." But instead of going back to sleep, they packed up and had a light breakfast. They mounted the horses when the sun's rays were just peeking through. As they were riding, Alexia talked to Ayda.

_In the dream, I said a name._

_Who?_

_I don't know who he is, Murtagh._

Well lets hope we never meet him. The day passed uneventfully and silently. On the third day of journeying through the plain they saw thunderclouds ahead of them. They carried on and up to the storm front all was calm. Upon entering it's shadow, a giant wave of wind passed the grass and neared them. All three humans prepared for the impact.

_A__yda, either fly up or land and fast!_ Ayda started to fly up while Saphira was doing the opposite. She was diving towards the ground at immense speed, but it wasn't fast enough. The wave was upon them and Auroran's hooves skidded on impact. Alexia kept her head down but she heard Saphira land with difficulty. The dragon was flung up again and crashed down. She heard Eragon dismount and hurry towards Saphira and she quickly did the same. Saphira was having difficulty folding her wings, so she rushed to her right wing as Eragon tried to fold her left. Putting all her strength into pushing the wing, it slowly moved towards the blue dragon's body. When it was tucked firmly against her body, Alexia jumped over to help Eragon. After an agonizing minute, both wings were safely tucked in. The wind continued to howl. Alexia left dragon and Rider and mounted Auroran again. Eragon came a few moments later and after confirming that Saphira wasn't hurt, Brom pointed at a thick tapestry of rain. Alexia pulled her clothes tighter and before long they were all drenched in ice-cold water. Great, lightening. She grumbled as she saw a bolt of blue strike the horizon. Small fires were started by the lightening and extinguished a second later by the rain. After what seemed like an eternity, the elements were tired of playing with them and left them. Once again, the sky was clear. Ayda came into view again.

_Are you all right little one?_

_Yes, I'm fine. You?_

_Fine. Is Saphira okay?_

_Yes. _Just before light faded, they stopped in a shallow depression. Exhausted, they went straight to sleep.

Everything was black. Everywhere she looked was darkness. A male voice sounded.

"You shall not esssscape until you reveal the location of the elven city!" Light entered the darkness and she could see a bare cell. In front of her was a man, or what she thought was a man. He had blood red eyes and crimson hair. He donned a black cloak with a sword on his hip. His boots were black also, as were his gloves. His lips formed a cruel smile as he stepped on her fingers. She winced, but didn't make a sound.

"Tell me and I let you free." He pressed his foot down even harder with impatience.

"Tell me your location, elf!" All of a sudden she was shaking uncontrollably and the man was shoved backwards and she heard her name, though faintly.

"Alexia! Alexia! ALEXIA!"

She sat up, her spine rigid with fear. She was breathing heavily and everyone, including Saphira and Ayda, was crowded around her.

_I had a different dream. About a man with blood red eyes and crimson hair._

_Tell everyone._

_No! They can do nothing to help me._ Ayda grunted, smoke coming from her nostrils. Alexia looked at Brom and Eragon. Concern filled their faces.

"Fine, I had a bad dream." She started to get up but Eragon pulled her down.

"About what?" Alexia started to protest, but Eragon cut in. "You've been having these dreams every night, we could work out the mystery." Alexia glared at the night sky.

"A man with red eyes and hair. He said something about the elven city; I didn't even know there was one. I don't remember the rest." Ayda snorted, seeing past her lie. She glared at her.

"Fine, he was asking for the location of the elven city, then stepped on my hand. Then I woke up. Happy? Now let me go." She made to get up, but Brom looked at her, demanding her to sit back down.

"And what about the other nights? Eragon told me it was about your death."

_Ayda you sneaky dragon, I told you not to tell anyone!_

_You didn't._

_I expected you not to._

_That's not the same. _Alexia grunted, mumbling curses, hoping they would leave soon. When they didn't, she sighed.

"At first, the dreams were of an arrow speeding to me. Then, I could see a faceless shooter. The next night I named him and the arrow pierced my heart and I felt a calm sensation, like my troubles were lifted and I could die in peace."

They remained silent for a few minutes. Then Eragon spoke.

"You should try and forget all of this, they're only dreams." Alexia glared at him.

"Yes, they're only dreams a child has! It's nothing disturbing like death!" She jumped up, grabbed her bag and mounted Auroran. Despite the shouts of protest from Brom, she cantered off in the direction of Yazuac with Ayda following her.

ERAGONELDEST

When she reached Yazuac, the sight horrified Alexia. Ayda had stopped not too far from here to avoid being seen. Everyone was dead, woman, man and child. She choked back a sob upon seeing a babe no older than a week with an arrow to its skull. Husbands were covering wives and children, trying to protect them from the attackers. Frightened faces stayed forever on the people, eyes wide, mouths open. Dropped hammers and other pieces of everyday items lay beside their owners, some with dried blood, some without. She dismounted and knelt beside a dead girl her age in front of her mother, still holding a kitchen knife, dried blood resting on the tip of the blade. Her face held determination. Drops of water fell on the girl's breeches and Alexia realized it was her tears. She barely registered that Brom and Eragon had arrived. She stayed there for a while until Brom noticed something.

"They're still here, run!" Alexia wiped her tears and mounted the piebald, walking to the other two. They began to run and reached the center of Yazuac when a spear whizzed past her, missing her neck by a finger. She heard someone crash into a wall. Turning round, she saw it was Eragon. He was panting heavily and a monster stood over him. It had grey skin, muscles bulging on its arms and chest, under a breastplate that was too small for it. From each of its temples a horn protruded, an iron cap on top. It was wielding a shield on one hand, a short sword on the other. She heard Brom say;

"Run, you fools!" She was about to, but Auroran reared and whinnied fearfully, whites showing, at the sight of another Urgal. She clung on as best she could but dropped when she lost grip for a second. She landed on her back, pain spreading everywhere. She looked up just in time to see an Urgal raise its axe.

"Jierda theirra kalfis!" she cried out of instinct. The Urgal fell back and Alexia sat up shocked. She took her bow from Auroran's saddle, glad she didn't carry it on her back, and nocked three arrows, loosing them at three Urgals coming at her. She did this until she had no more arrows in her quiver. She panicked when the Urgal sneered at her, their bloodied weapons raised.

"Brisingr!" She shouted and a purple string of fire wrapped around the Urgal, burning it to ash. She heard Eragon yell at the same time, and a blue light crossed the ground, killing every Urgal in its path, leaving everything else unharmed. Brom's words suddenly reached Alexia. _Do not attempt anything beyond your strength, you could die from it_. She gasped, he did powerful magic, enough to make him faint! She didn't know how she knew this, but ran to the passageway where she saw Eragon against a wall.

"Eragon!" She ran over to him. She held his hand and felt a little energy seep from her to him. He looked at her and smiled a little.

"Thanks."

"No problem, we should get to Brom, I think he's hurt."

Brom was slumped motionless on Snowfire's saddle, blood crawling through a gash on his arm. As Eragon slid Brom out of the saddle, she saw Saphira and Ayda landing. Turning back to Eragon, she helped him place Brom on the ground carefully. As Eragon put a thin leather saddle on Saphira, Alexia cleaned the cut on Brom's arm and bandaged it with a strip of her blanket. Together, they lifted Brom and strapped him in. It was then that he woke up. Knowing he wanted to talk to Eragon, she climbed up on Ayda and sat sideways holding on to the bottom-most spike of her neck (**Like sidesaddle on a horse**). The spikes continued up the neck and stopped at the top of her head. Sensing her Rider's concern, she asked _what's wrong hatchling?_

_I don't know, everything's happening at once. I gave Eragon energy and killed Urgals with a spell I don't even know. I'm just really confused at my actions._

_Magic is a mystery, but we try to understand as much as possible, without our brains imploding from the mass of information._ Alexia smiled. She could always make her smile whenever she wasn't. She slid off her and mounted Auroran when Eragon told her it was time to go. They continued along the Ninor River, stopping to refill their water skins. The silence was broken by Eragon.

"Alexia, I was really stupid in saying you could forget those dreams. And also in thinking you were too young to be a Rider."

"And for suspecting me as a spy?"

"Yes, and that too, and I just wanted to say, I'm sorry for everything."

"I'm sorry too, for screaming at you and anything else I've done wrong." They looked at each other.

"Friends?"

"Friends."

ERAGONELDEST

Saphira and Ayda had found a place for them to stay the night and when they reached it, a smokeless fire was already burning. Brom sat next to it, tending to his arm. When he asked, Eragon explained everything he did while Brom had passed out.

"…and then I just felt really tired." At this point, Brom cut in.

"You fool! Didn't I specifically tell you not to do anything beyond your strength? You shouldn't have done that!" Brom exclaimed.

"I didn't know it would happen! The Urgals were about to kill me! Anyway, I survived with the help of Alexia. She touched me and I felt stronger." When Brom looked at her, she said hastily;

"I didn't know how I did it, it just happened because I knew he was weak." He nodded thoughtfully.

"Eragon, why don't you find us dinner?" He got up, took her bow and went into the wood. Alexia felt someone in her mind and immediately put up barriers. _It is I, Brom._ Reluctantly, she let the barriers down. She saw memories of her past flash before her eyes.

She was playing wrestle with a boy a little older than herself.

"Why do you use your left hand?" he asked.

"I've always used it. Don't you?" He stopped and ran away.

She saw the bare cell and the boot of the man on her fingers.

"Tell me your location, elf!" He screamed.

The arrow was in her heart and she said her last words.

"No-" Alexia put her barriers up and severed the connection, her heart racing as if she had run the length of the Hadarac Desert.

"You had no right to do that!" She glared at the old man.

"I know, but I think you are seeing premonitions. The future." She nodded slightly and he carried on.

"The man who stepped on your hand and demanded to know the location of the elven city, is a Shade." She had heard about Shades, they were nothing but evil.

"And you know about the arrow. It's how you die. Best not dwell on it." He finished as Eragon came back carrying a dead doe and a pouch of fruits. He handed the pouch to her and started on the doe with the help of Brom.

ERAGONELDEST

Alexia woke well and rested the next morning and had a feeling it was the fruit Eragon gave her. All the same, she didn't have any dreams so she wasn't complaining. When they rode, Brom decided it was time for another magic lesson to strengthen them. He set off Eragon first by telling him to make a piece of leather tie into a knot. He then came to Alexia.

"I want you to tell me why you cannot summon the essence of silver from my ring." She pondered for a moment.

"Because I don't know the word for it yet." Brom nodded.

"Arget is the word. After that, I want you to make the pebble glow with light." It was the same every day. During the ride, they practiced magic and in the evenings Eragon and Alexia sparred. Then Alexia would make some arrows to refill her quiver. The night before they reached the nearest town, Daret, Alexia stayed awake thinking of the people who brought her up and her faceless parents. Eragon started to twitch and mumble in his sleep so Alexia decided to calm him.

"Draumr moi." His mumbling and twitching ceased. Satisfied, she gazed at the night sky.

The next day they rode into Daret. Saphira and Ayda hid close to the village this time, should anything happen It was silent like Yazuac, which unnerved Alexia, but this time there were no dead bodies. All the same, she had her bow in her hand, her other ready to reach for arrows. She had a feeling they were being watched but seeing no-one, remained cautious. When they reached the center of the village wagons rolled out from behind the houses, blocking their way. A man jumped over the wagons, a drawn bow in his hands and a broadsword at his side. Without thinking, Alexia and Eragon pointed their bows to the man.

"Halt! Put your weapons down. You're surrounded by sixty archers. They'll shoot if you move." A row of men stood up on the roofs of the surrounding houses, ready to loose their arrows.

_Do not do anything, stay there, we'll be fine_. Alexia commanded as Ayda said she was coming with Saphira. She wasn't sure if she listened.

"What do you want?" Brom asked.

"Why have you come here?" The man demanded, pointing his bow to Brom.

"To buy supplies and hear the news. Nothing more. We're on the way to my cousin's house in Dras-Leona."

"All of you are armed pretty heavily.

"So are you. These are dangerous times."

"True." The man eyed them with suspicion. "I don't think you mean any harm to us but we've had too many encounters with Urgals and the likes for me to trust you only on your word."

"If it doesn't matter what we say, what happens now?" Brom inquired.

"You say you want supplies. Would you agree to stay here while we bring what you need, pay us then leave immediately?"

"Yes."

"All right." The man signaled to one of the archers, who landed on the ground and ran over. "Tell him what you want."

Brom recited a short list, adding to it two pairs of gloves to hide the gedwëy ignasias, but he kept the last part to himself. The archer ran off. The man, Trevor talked to Brom for a bit. Alexia was still wary of the place, and she still felt hidden eyes watch her. After a while, the archer hurried back with the supplies. Brom took them and handed Eragon and herself a pair of gloves while he put everything else in the saddlebags and paid him. They exited Daret and continued their way. When they reached the dragons, Saphira gave a menacing hiss at Eragon and thrust her head at him. As they talked with their minds, Ayda also gave a low hiss, but didn't thrust her head like Saphira.

_What's Saphira doing?_

_Telling Eragon he is to ride her tomorrow so he doesn't get into trouble. I would do the same, but I do not have a saddle, Brom is making me one once we get some leather. I'm just worried about you, what happens if you're in trouble and I don't reach you in time?_

_Aww, Ayda. I'll be safe with Brom. I have magic aswell._

_I'm not letting you out of my sight anyway._

_Yes mother. Ayda growled playfully_. 

**Ok, I want 3 reveiws before I post my next chapter. Not much to ask for is it? You get a free Zar'roc model aswell!**


	5. Teirm

**Chapter 5**

**Yay! Thanks for the reviews everyone! As I promised, a Zar'roc model for you all.**

They made camp at sundown and when the fire had warmed them up enough, Eragon and Alexia dueled as usual. At one point, the wood snapped because of the force and Brom smiled.

"It's time to use the real thing. Eragon, get Zar'roc out. Alexia, you can borrow my blade for the time being." Eragon took his sword out and frowned.

"We'll cut each other to ribbons."

"Well spotted, but you're forgetting magic." Brom showed Eragon and Alexia how to dull the blade.

"Gëuloth du knífr!" they said in unison. A small lilac spark erupted from Alexia's fingers and she ran them down the blade repeating it on the other side, all the while touching the metal. When her fingers left the metal the spark vanished. Seeing nothing different, she placed the sharp edge gently on her right palm and felt a thin layer of invisible water blocking her touch the edge. When she and Eragon had finished examining their barriers Brom pointed out a few things.

"Even though it's dulled, the swords can still break bones and a blow to the neck could be fatal, so I'm trusting both of you not to mess around with them." They nodded. Satisfied, he signaled for them to spar. It took a while to get used to something heavier than a wooden stick but she soon got used to it, though she was still much slower, as was Eragon.

By the end, both of them had large welts and were panting heavily and Alexia accepted the food from Brom.

ERAGONELDEST

Alexia woke with painful bruises, but they were not as bad as last time. _At least I can ride without wincing every step._ After breakfast, Eragon was all set to ride Saphira.

"Now remember, grip with your knees, guide her with your thoughts and stay as flat as you can on her back. Nothing will go wrong if you don't panic." Brom advised. Alexia grinned at him.

"Have a safe flight." He smiled in return.

Alexia mounted Auroran and held on to Cadoc's reins and Brom mounted Snowfire. She didn't know how long they rode, but Brom signaled her to stop when they reached a clearing. Brom dismounted and she did the same.

"The Ra'zac's tracks have gone. They stop here." He pointed to the ground where numerous footprints overlapped each other. Over them were several long, thick gouges torn into the ground. She racked her brain for anything she saw that looked like this when her thoughts fell on;

"Dragons?" Brom shook his head.

"No, they wouldn't ever consent to bear a Ra'zac." Then Saphira landed beside them and Eragon hopped off.

"What's wrong?" Alexia's thoughts drifted to Ayda.

_Where the hell are you? Saphira's come down already._

_Oh right._ Alexia sensed her dragon was distracted by something. When she landed, they continued talking over lunch.

_What's wrong?_

_Nothing to worry about, little one._

_Hey, how come you can sift through my thoughts but I can't go into yours?_

_Hmm?_

_Nothing._ Just then, Brom called her over. He was holding a flask. He poured some of the contents into the cap.

"This is oil from the petals of the Seithr plant. In its natural state the oil is used to preserve pearls but when specific words are spoken over the oil along with a blood sacrifice it gains the property to eat any flesh. It leaves everything else untouched though. You can dip anything that isn't once part of an animal or human into this and pull it out unscarred. It is used for torture, mostly but is used for assassination aswell. Any injury caused by this is slow to heal. It's very rare and expensive, especially in this form, which is why we don't touch stuff laying on the ground, expecting it to be harmless." The last part was mostly directed at Eragon, who was holding his finger, which had a burn mark on it. She guessed it was he who found the flask.

"Then why did the Ra'zac leave it behind? She asked.

"It must have slipped off when they flew away. The king won't be happy they lost it, but news of Eragon will be more important than anything else at the moment. No-one has discovered anything about you yet." He added for Alexia's information.

_Good, that might come in handy sometime._

"This oil, how rare is it exactly?" Eragon inquired.

"Like diamonds in a pig trough. Actually, it is used by jewelers who can afford it."

"So there are people who trade it?"

"One or two, perhaps."

"Good. Now, do the cities along the coast keep shipping records?" Brom's face immediately brightened, while Alexia hid a scowl. _If they ask me check help read, what shall I do?_

_You could always tell them you can't read._

_Why are you always in my mind?_

_We're connected whether you like it or not._

_So now I have no privacy?_

_You should have thought of that before keeping me._

_Yes, I should have._

_Too late now!_ She scowled fully.

"…and because he's a merchant it's possible that he has access to those records." Brom finished.

"How do we get to Teirm?" She asked, pretending to be interested in the conversation.

"We'll have to go southwest until we reach a high pass in the Spine. Once on the other side we can head up the cost to Teirm."

"Can we reach the pass within a week?" Eragon asked masking his excitement behind a calm face, but his eyes still gave him away.

"Easily. If we angle away from the Ninor and to our right, we might be able to see the mountains by tomorrow." Eragon walked away and mounted Saphira.

"See you two at dinner then." Ayda took off just after Saphira. The other two mounted their horses and Brom led Cadoc this time.

ERAGONELDEST

Before they reached Teirm, they had to sort out disguises. They wore their hooded traveling cloaks to hide their faces and chose names.

"Right, so Eragon, you will be my nephew Evan, I will be Neal and you can be Elizabeth, Evan's sister. This won't deceive Jeod but I can trust him with our names." They nodded in agreement and rode on to the city entrance looking casual, where they met their first test. Two guards blocked the gate.

"Wha's yer name?" asked one of them.

"Evan an' this my sister Elizabeth." Eragon said in a heavy accent. "She's deaf s-"

"Yeah, we get it. Who's th' other one?"

"I'm called Neal." Brom said in a wheezy voice, slouching to one side.

"And yer business here?"

"He's visiting an old friend and I'm along t' make sure he don't get lost, if y'get m'meaning. He ain't as young as he used to be, had a bit too much sun when he was young'r. Touch o' the brain fever, y'know." Brom bobbed his head, smiling weirdly.

"What about the girl?"

"She's comin' w'me, we live alone an' I c'n hardly leave 'er because-"

"Right, Go on through. Just make sure they're not a nuisance."

"Oh they won't." The guards let them pass and they rode on. When they were out of sight from the guards, Alexia hissed, much like Saphira so that Eragon jumped and turned around.

"You could have said I was visiting my cousin, but no, I had to be deaf!" Eragon smiled.

"Improvisation."

ERAGONELDEST

Alexia walked into the Green Chestnut tavern behind Eragon and Brom and she felt uneasy. She did her best not to reach for her bow on her back. Brom leaned against the bar and asked the bartender;

"Do you know where we can find a man called Jeod?" The man answered in an overly loud voice, as if trying to let the whole bar know.

"Now why would I know something like that? Do you think I keep track of the mangy louts in this forsaken place?"

"Could you be enticed to remember?" Brom slid a few coins onto the bar." The man brightened and lowered his voice.

"Could be, but my memory takes a great deal of prodding." Brom frowned, but slid a few more coins onto the bar. The bartender was about to reach for the coins when another man interrupted from his table.

"Gareth, what in th' blazes do you think you're doing? Anyone can tell them where Jeod lives." At this, Brom took back the coins from the bar and walked towards the man. Eragon led Alexia to him when she told him with her mind that she was 'deaf'.

"Thanks, The name's Neal. This is Evan and Elizabeth."

"Martin, and you've met Gareth." Martin gestured at some chairs.

"Go ahead, sit down, I don't mind." Eragon turned his chair so that he faced the door. Martin raised an eyebrow at this but didn't question it.

"You just saved me a few crowns." Stated Brom.

"My pleasure. Can't blame Gareth though, business hasn't been doing well lately. Jeod lives on the west side of town, right next to Angela, the herbalist." Alexia stood up, wanting to talk to her dragon.

"You know what, I'm gonna go outside for a minute, I don't feel too good." Brom nodded.

When she got outside, she heaved a sigh.

_I'm going to buy the leather now._

_Good._

_I need to take some measurements aswell, so I'll meet you tonight?_

_Okay. You could do it now._

_All right._ Alexia got a picture of a mossy cliff surrounded by maples. She walked briskly to the gates, passing them head down. When she reached the cliff she contacted Ayda again.

_How am I supposed to get up?_

_I could find a clearing and land._

_Actually, I'll climb. I've not done it since I don't know how long. Gives me a stretch._ Alexia studied which way to climb, before starting.

_Well if you fall I'm not letting you do anything like this ever again._

_Yes mommy._

_Since when did you call me 'mommy'?_

_Since you said not to call you mother._

_Don't call me mommy either then._

_You're right. I should call you younger-but-bigger-than-me, er, something._

_That's a long name._

_I know, but I couldn't think of anything else. I'm almost there._ She reached the top and saw Saphira and Ayda ahead of her. The purple dragon blew smoke as a greeting.

"Hey buddy." She said aloud, patting the shimmering scales. Alexia began taking measurements like Brom instructed and soon she knew exactly how much leather she need for the saddle. Ayda carried her down and Alexia bought some good leather. As she walked out of the shop, she contacted Eragon. He resisted at first, but soon knew it was her.

_What?_

_Where are you and Brom?_

_In Jeod's house._

_Right, that is where again?_

_Next to Angela's shop._

_Okay, thanks._

The shop was easy to find. It had a cheery sign and a short curly-haired woman was seated by the front door, holding a frog in one hand and scribbling away with the other. On either side of the shop was a house. Deciding to ask the woman which house it was, she approached her timidly.

"Do you know which house Jeod lives in?"

"I do." She said and flipped a page and started writing again.

"Would you tell me?"

"Yes." Alexia waited a moment before asking again;

"Which house is Jeod's?" Angela looked up. She had a friendly face.

"Now we're getting somewhere, if you want to know something, ask directly. Jeod's house is on the right."

"Thanks. Why are you holding a frog?"

"Well, it's a toad, but I'm trying to tell everyone they don't exist, so witches can't do any of their evil spells, which means this toad doesn't exist, therefore this toad was really a frog in the first place."

"Intriguing. Well, I'll leave you to it. I have to meet my friends." The woman waved her hand and started writing again. Turning to the door of Jeod's house, she knocked three times. She waited patiently and the door opened revealing an angry woman.

"Forgive me for interrupting, but is there any chance Jeod is here?"

"Jeod has left to his headquarters with Evan and Neal."

"Oh, sorry once again. I'll be going now." The woman shut the door.

_Eragon, you said you were at Jeod's house. Tell me where you are, now!_

_We were at Jeod's house, but we left to talk in a more private place. Right now, I'm with Snowfire and the other horses just outside the citadel, listening to what they are talking about._ Puzzled, she glanced around and made her way towards the citadel. She entered the main gate and saw Eragon concentrating on something, eyes closed. Dumping the leather on the ground, she sat down beside him. After a while he opened his eyes.

"What's going on?" He muttered.

"What?" He jumped slightly and turned to see Alexia. He quickly explained what he heard and finished as the door opened.

"You found Evan then." Brom stated. "Were the horses alright?" Eragon nodded and they untied them again leading them to the main body of Teirm.

"By the way, this is Alexia, known as Elizabeth to everyone else." Brom said.

"Pleased to meet you."

"It is my pleasure." They shook hands.

"So Jeod, you finally got married. And, to a lovely young woman. Congratulations." Jeod did not seem too happy with the compliment.

"Whether congratulations are in order is debatable right now. Helen isn't very happy."

"Why, what does she want?" asked Brom.

"The usual, a good home, happy children, food on the table and pleasant company." They talked for a while before deciding to eat.

"You can leave your horses in my stable." They did that and followed him to a tavern. It was loud, clean, and full of boisterous people, unlike the Green Chestnut. Alexia didn't eat much, she was busy thinking over what Eragon had told her. _I've never seen a dwarf, hell I don't even know what a dwarf is! And who is this Ajihad person? And what about tuatha du orothrim?_

_So many questions!_

_Ayda, you're here._

_I know._

_Can you leave?_

_No. I like it here, I can look into your secrets._

_Fine, look all you want, just don't show them to me, I don't want to remember much._

_I'll try._ Alexia scowled as Ayda deliberately brought up the love/hate relationship conversation again.

ERAGONELDEST

Eragon went off to see Saphira so the rest went to Jeod's study and talked about the plan of action.

"Everyone can help, it's a simple task of finding the right scroll." Alexia flushed and Brom noticed.

"What is it?"

"Um, well, I don't know how to, read because of my, problem." She gestured to her hands. Brom's face darkened.

"Well I'll teach you, it sets my plan back, but it is necessary."

"Um, you'll have to teach me too." Eragon stood at the doorway head lowered. Brom scowled.

"You mean Garrow never taught you?"

"He knew how to read?" Eragon asked.

"Of course he did. Must have thought it an unnecessary luxury. We'll start as soon as we can. For now, let us rest. And Alexia, i'll work on the saddle."

**Okay, this chapter is kind of a see you later present, I'm going on holiday for a week. When I come back, I shall be expecting lots of reviews. Toodles!**


	6. Angela's Shop

**Well I'm back from Scotland! Thanks for the great reviews! This chapter is short, I only typed it up this morning.  
**

**Chapter 6**

When Alexia awoke, she washed and changed into clean breeches and shirt. The butler had told both Eragon and herself that Jeod and Brom won't be back until evening and that they could do whatever they wanted until then.

Together, she and Eragon explored the many shops of Teirm for hours, chatting to various people and learning a little history of the town. They were heading towards Jeod's home for food when Eragon stopped them outside the herbalist's shop.

"Let's go inside, I want to know what sort of a place it is."

"Okay, seeming as we have all afternoon." When they entered, they had to let their eyes adjust to the darkness. Plants were everywhere, on the walls, floor, even the ceiling. On a counter there was an assortment of mortars, pestles, metal bowls and a clear crystal ball. Eragon stepped forward towards the counter when a flash of red startled them both and a large cat leapt onto the counter. It didn't look like a normal cat; it had oversized paws and powerful shoulders, a shaggy mane surrounding it's face and its ears were tipped with black tufts. To add to the strange look, white fangs curved down over its jaw. It inspected them before flicking its tail.

_You ruined my nap, Rider._ Startled, she looked around. Seeing no one else, she concluded it was the cat.

_Sorry._ The cat purred. Just then, Eragon fell to the floor, writhing and clutching a rod. Terrified, she went to calm him when the cat spoke again.

_Don't touch him._

_Why? He's hurt._

_Don't touch him._ It repeated. She stayed beside Eragon until he slowly stopped writhing and was gasping for air. The cat jumped onto Eragon. Alexia thought for a moment.

_How can you talk to us?_

_Surely a Dragon Rider like you would know?_

_No._

_I am a werecat._

_Oh. Do you have a name?_

_I go by many names. You may call me Solembum._

_Thank you._ The werecat continued to speak to Eragon. Clearly he had a lot more questions than her. When they finished, Solembum's purring grew louder. The shop door swung open, letting in a bean of sunlight. The woman, whom Eragon told her was called Angela, entered with a cloth full of plants. Her eyes flickered at Solembum and she looked startled.

"He says you two talked with him."

"You can talk with him too?" Eragon asked.

"Of course, but that doesn't mean he'll say anything back." She set her plants on the counter then walked behind it and faced Eragon.

"He likes both of you, and says you show some promise, given a few year's work." Her eyes flickered to Alexia.

"Thanks." Said Eragon.

"It's a compliment, coming from him. There were only two other people able to speak with him until you two came along. The first was a woman, the second was a blind beggar, now there's two of you at once. But I don't run a store just so I can rattle on. Is there anything you want to look at, or did you come here just to look?"

"Just to look. Besides, I don't really need any herbs."

"That's not all I do." Said Angela. "The rich fool lords pay me for love potions and the like. I never claim they work, but for some reason they keep coming back. But I don't think you need those chicaneries. Would either of you like your fortune told? I do that too, for all the rich fool ladies." Eragon laughed at this.

"No, I'm afraid my fortune is pretty much unreadable. And I don't have any money." Angela looked at the werecat for a while.

"I think," she gestured at the crystal ball. "That's only for show anyway, it doesn't do anything. But I do have…Wait here, I'll be right back." Angela rushed out of the room into another at the back of the shop. She came back a few moments later, breathless. She was holding a leather pouch which she set on the counter.

"I haven't used these in such a long time I almost forgot where they were. Now, sit across from me and I'll show you why I went to all the trouble. They sat on two stools they found. Angela laid a piece of red cloth on the counter, then poured a handful of smooth bones, each slightly longer than a finger onto it. Strange symbols were inscribed along their sides.

"These are the knucklebones of a dragon. Don't ask where I got them, it is a secret I won't reveal. But unlike tealeaves, crystal balls or even divining cards, these have true power. They do not lie, though understanding what they say is, complicated. If either of you wish, I can cast them and read them for you but understand that to know one's fate can be a terrible thing. You must be sure of your decision."

_Ayda, should I have my future told?_

_Do what you want._

_What do you think?_

_It's your choice._ She bit her lip. Then Eragon spoke.

"Why do you offer this?"

"Because of Solembum. He may have been rude but the fact that he spoke to you makes you two special. He is a werecat after all. I offered to do this for the other two people who talked with him. Only the woman agreed to do it. Selena was her name. Ah, she regretted it too. Her future was bleak and painful and I don't think she believed it. Not at first, anyway." Tears welled up in Eragon's eyes. He muttered something, then;

"Do you remember anything to do with her fortune?" He asked. Angela shook her head.

"It was so long ago that the details have melted into the rest of my memory, which isn't as good as it used to be. Besides, I'll not tell you what I remember. That was for her and her alone. It was sad though, I've never forgotten the look on her face." Eragon closed his eyes. Opening them, he said solemnly;

"Cast the bones for me." Angela grasped the bones in each hand. She closed her eyes and her lips moved soundlessly. Then she said;

"Manin! Wyrda! Hugin!" and tossed the bones onto the cloth. The words sounded familiar to her. She remembered them almost instantly from the Ancient Language. _Memory, fate, something._ _She's a witch._ Alexia concluded from that.

_Well spotted._

_Ayda?_

_Who else?_ Everything was silent again in her head. The minutes ticked by and finally Angela heaved a long sigh. She wiped her brow and brought out a wineskin from under the counter. She offered it to both of them but they politely shook their heads. She drank deeply from it.

"This, is the hardest reading I've ever done. I've never known anyone's fate being so tangled and clouded. I was, however, able to extract a few things. I will start here." Angela pointed to one of the bones. It had a long horizontal line with a circle resting on it. "As it is the easiest to understand. Infinity or long life, the first time I've seen this in anyone's future. Whether it means you live forever or a longer span of years I do not know. Now the bones grow harder to read." She pointed to three other bones.

"The wandering path, lightening bolt and sailing ship all lie together, a pattern I've never seen, only heard of. The wandering path shows there are many choices in your future, some of which you face even now. I see great battles raging around you, some of them fought for your sake. I see the mighty powers of this land struggling to control your will and destiny. Countless possible futures await you, all of them filled with blood and conflict, except for one, which brings you peace and happiness. Beware of losing your way for you are one of the few who are truly free to choose their own fate. That freedom is a gift, but also a responsibility more binding than chains." Her face grew sad. "And yet, as if to counteract that, is the lightening bolt, a terrible omen. A doom upon you, but of what I know not. Part of it lies a death, one that rapidly approaches and will cause you much grief." Eragon glanced at Alexia for a moment. "But the rest awaits in a great journey. Look closely at this bone, you can see how its end rests on the sailing ship. That is nigh impossible to misunderstand. Your fate will be to leave this land forever. Where you will end up is a mystery but you will never again set foot on Alagaësia. This is inescapable, it will come to pass even if you try to avoid it." The witch rubbed her temples and breathed deeply. She smiled a little. "This next one is easier to read and perhaps a bit more pleasant." The bone had a rose blossom in between the horns of the crescent moon. "An epic romance is in your future, extraordinary, as the moon indicates, for that is a magical symbol, strong enough to outlast empires. I cannot say if this passion ends happily or not, but your love is of noble birth and heritage. She is powerful, wise and beautiful beyond compare. Now for the last two bones, the tree and the hawthorn root, which cross each other strongly. I wish that this were not so, it can only mean more trouble. Betrayal is clear, and it will come from your family."

"But Roran would never do that!" Eragon protested.

"I wouldn't know, but the bones have never lied, and that is what they say." They were silent for a while, and Angela offered him the wineskin. This tie, he accepted it.

"After all that, death might be welcome." He laughed oddly.

"It might be, but you shouldn't fret about what has yet to occur. The only way the future can harm us is by causing worry. I can guarantee you'll feel better once you're out in the sun. Now, how about you? Do you want me to cast the bones for you?"

Alexia thought a bit.

"Can I ask a question about my future?"

"You can, but I cannot guarantee I can decipher it." She sighed.

"Okay, how will I die?" Angela gave a weird look, but took the bones again. This time, she stayed silent, closing her eyes before saying,

"Manin, Wyrda, Hugin!" Dropping the bones once more onto the cloth, she opened her eyes and examined them closely. Alexia waited nervously and fiddled with her shirtsleeve. Angela looked up again and sighed deeply.

"I can tell you a bit about your death." She pointed to a bone with two other bones pointing to it. It had a single teardrop on it. "These two mean two deaths, the first time I've seen it. To put it simply, there are two paths you can take to your death. The only one I can see the whole of is this one." She motioned to a bone with three more bones touching it. They had strange runes on it. "It's complicated, but involves an arrow and betrayal. You have yet to meet the person, and you will journey with the person for quite a while. I don't know about the other one, but I can see a sword as well as a war. I'm sorry I can't tell you anymore, but I hope that helps." There was an awkward silence.

"Well thank you very much for you help Angela." Said Alexia.

"My pleasure. What I wouldn't give to see how the rest of your lives play out. Speaking to werecats, know of the Ancient Language, be loved by a noblewoman, and two deaths. Who are you?" Alexia realized they hadn't given their names.

"I am Eragon."

"Alexia." Angela pondered for a moment.

"Eragon. Is that who you are or your name?" Eragon smiled.

"Both."

"Now I'm all the more interested in seeing how your life will unfold. Who was the ragged man with you yesterday?" Eragon stayed silent for a moment.

"His name is Brom." Angela suddenly burst out laughing. She took a sip of wine and held back more laughter. Gasping for breath, she said;

"Oh, that one! I had no idea!"

"What is it?" He asked hotly.

"Now don't be upset." Angela said trying to keep a straight face, though her eyes gave her away. "It's only that, well, he is known by those in my profession. I'm afraid that the poor man's doom, or future if you will, is something of a joke with us." Alexia bit her lip to stop herself shouting at the woman.

"Don't insult him! He's a better man than any of you can find!" Eragon snapped.

"Peace, peace. I know that. If we meet again at the right time I'll be sure to tell you about it. But in the meantime you should-" She stopped when the werecat padded between them. He spoke to Eragon and then he walked away, waving his tail. Angela tilted her head.

"I don't know what he said and I don't want to know. He spoke to you and only you. Don't tell anyone else.

"I think we have to go." He stated, shaken.

"If you want to. You are welcome to stay here as long as you like, especially if you buy some of my goods. Go if you wish, I'm sure I have given enough for you to ponder for a while."

"Yes." Eragon made his way to the door, Alexia behind him. "Thank you for reading our futures."

"You're welcome." They exited and headed for their dragons' hiding place. When they were at the cliff top, Alexia told Ayda everything about her future.

_Are you all right?_

_Yes, I'm fine. Well, I now know what to expect. I will be very careful of who I trust from now on._

_Yes, I think that's the best solution._ There was silence while they watched the sun go down.

_You know, if the Riders die, what become of their dragon?_

_I suppose they die as well, dragon and rider are one. Without one another, they are lost._ They continued talking until dusk, when they hurried back to Jeod's house.

"Is Neal back?" Eragon asked the butler, who opened the door.

"Yes sir, I believe he is in the study right now."

"Thank you." They found Brom smoking his pipe by the fire, a feel of anger in the room.

"How did it go?" asked Eragon.

"Bloody awful!" growled Brom.

"So you talked to Brand?"

"Not that it did any good. This administrator of trade is the worst sort of beaucrat. He abides every rule, delights in making his own whenever it can inconvenience someone, and at the same time believes that he's doing good."

"Then he won't let us see the records?"

"No. Nothing I could say would sway him. He even refused bribes! Substantial ones too. I didn't think I would ever meet a noble who wasn't corrupt. Now that I have I find that I prefer them when they are greedy bastards." He puffed furiously on his piped and muttered a steady flow of curses. When he seemed to have calmed down, Alexia asked;

"So what now?"

"I'm going to take the next week and teach both of you how to read."

"And after that?" A smile spread across Brom's face.

"After that we're going to give Brand a nasty surprise." Eragon and Alexia pestered the old man for details, but he kept his mouth shut.

Dinner was silent. Helen and Jeod were seated at the ends, Brom, Eragon and Alexia seated between them. She was dangerously close to the hard-eyed Helen and was relieved when it was finally over.


	7. Midnight Outings

**Short chapter, but I've not posted in forever.**

Chapter 7

"This is the letter a." Brom showed the rune to Eragon and Alexia. "Learn it." Over the next week, a routine was established. They would wake up, eat in the kitchen, and go to the study for reading and writing lessons with Brom. Before dinner, Eragon and Alexia would spar behind Jeod's house while Brom pointed out mistakes and gave some tips. The servants and a small crowd of wide-eyed children would come and watch. Then they would practice magic in their rooms after making sure the curtains were absolutely closed or Alexia would take her bow and quiver to the cliff and practice shooting.

Alexia's only problem now was Ayda. They only got to see each other for a few hours every day and it wasn't enough. Arriving merchants told of horrific attacks along the coast. She voiced her worries to Eragon and he agreed they weren't spending enough time with their dragons but there was nothing they could do except keep close together and never go out alone. Brom had finished the saddle a few days ago but she had no time to use it so she carefully stored it away in her traveling bag.

When the week had gone by, Alexia could read small (**Not miniature ones, short ones.**) books with the help of a dictionary. She read slowly but knew she could speed up with practice. Brom encouraged them.

"No matter, you'll do fine for what I have planned."

It was afternoon when Brom called everyone to the study. He gestured to Eragon and Alexia.

"Now that you can help us, I think it is time we moved ahead."

"What do you have in mind?" Eragon asked. A fierce smile danced on the old man's face. Jeod groaned.

"I know that look, it's what got us into trouble the first place.

"A slight exaggeration, but not unwarranted. Very well, this is what we'll do…"

In her room, Alexia contacted her dragon.

_We'll be leaving tonight or tomorrow._

_Will you be safe?_

_Of course, I can fight if needed._

_All right. Get some sleep then, you'll need it._ She broke the connection and stared out of the window. The streets were empty and a quaint silence hung over them. I small candle glowed on the desk of a small girl's bedroom across the streets. She was writing in her diary when her mother and father came in, holding something behind their backs. The child turned and they conversed for a few seconds. Then, the mother revealed some ribbons and the father a blank book and some writing materials. She smiled wistfully and sighed.

_I miss Carvahall; at least I have a home and family. I wish they were my parents, however they treated me. At least they kept me._

She slipped into a fitful sleep.

ERAGONELDEST

Alexia paced around in her room, her fingers itching to do something. It was early afternoon and the sun was shining brightly. Finally, she grabbed her bow and arrows and went outside to the back of the house. Setting up a target, she stepped back and strung her bow. She nocked an arrow, aimed and released. It landed dead center and she smiled. _Now if only I can be half as good with a sword._ She sighed and loosed another arrow.

She went back inside just after sunset where everyone was getting ready. When the light faded, the group walked casually along the street, avoiding anyone that might question them. As they continued walking, Alexia saw something move from the corner of her eye but when she turned to look at it, it had already gone. She shrugged it off. _Must be a cat._

When they reached the castle the sky was black. Jeod took the lead and strode up to the gates. He pounded on it. A small grill opened up and a guard peered out. His face showed he had been drinking.

"Ya?" he grunted.

"We need to get in." said Jeod. The guard looked at Jeod.

"Wha for?"

"The boy here left something very valuable in my office and we have to retrieve it immediately." Eragon hung his head. The guard frowned, glancing downwards for a few moments.

"Ah whatever. Jus' make sure 'n give 'im a good beating f'r me.

"I'll do that." Jeod assured the guard, as he let them in. Brom gave the guard a few coins.

"Thank'ee." Mumble the man as he walked away. The moment he was out of sight, Eragon strung his bow. Alexia did the same. They hurried silently to their destination, listening for any guards on patrol. At the records room, Brom tried the door. It was locked. He put his hand against the door and muttered a word from the ancient language Alexia did not recognize. The door swung open with a faint click and they dashed inside with a torch, closing the door behind them. Jeod made his way through the wooden scroll-racks, running his eyes over them. He halted at the back of the room.

"Over here. These are the shipping records for the past five years. You can tell the date by the wax seals on the corner."

"So what do we do now?" asked Eragon.

"Start at the top and work down. Some scrolls only deal with taxes. You can ignore those, just look for anything that mentions Seithr oil." Said Jeod. He took a length of parchment from his pouch and set it on the floor, then set a bottle of ink and a quill pen next to it. "So we can keep track of whatever we find." He explained. Brom nodded and grabbed an armful of scrolls from the top of the rack and piled them on the floor. He sat and unrolled the first one. Alexia grabbed a few scroll from the rack and sat close to the door. When she looked at the runes on the parchment, she had to take a moment to decipher the unfamiliar handwriting, which was completely different from the printing from Jeod's library. By looking only for the names of the ships that sailed in the northern areas they winnowed out many of the scrolls. Even so, they moved down the rack slowly, recording each shipment of Seithr oil as they located it. It was quite outside the room, with the exception of the occasional watchmen passing by. Then, Alexia heard something at the windowsill. Looking up, she saw a small boy crouching.

_Need any help?_ Asked a voice in her head. It sounded somewhat familiar.

_Solembum, is that you?_

_Am I someone else?_

_Err, never mind. What are you doing here?_

_That depends on what you are doing here. _Alexia could tell Solembum was talking to Eragon aswell now. _If you are reading those scrolls for entertainment then I suppose there isn't any reason for my visit. But if what you are doing is unlawful and you don't want to be discovered, I might be here to warn you that the guard whom you bribed just told his replacement about you, and that this second official of the Empire has sent soldiers to search for you._

_Oh, thanks for telling us._

_Told you something, did I? Well I suppose I did and I suggest you make use of it._ Solembum stood up and tossed his hair back. A moment later, he was gone.

"There are soldiers looking for us." Eragon announced.

"How do you know?" Brom asked.

"I listened in on the guard. His replacement just sent men to search for us. We have to get out of here. They've probably already discovered that Jeod's office is empty."

"Are you sure?" asked Jeod.

"Yes!" said Eragon impatiently. "They're on their way." Brom continued looking through the scrolls.

"No matter, we have to finish this now!" They worked furiously for the next minute, all the while Alexia could hear faint footsteps in the distance…as the last scroll was finished, Brom threw it back onto the rack and Jeod jammed his parchment, ink and quill bank into his pouch. Eragon grabbed the torch and Alexia used magic to make the room the way it was before they came in. They raced from the room and shut the door, but just as it closed, they heard the heavy tramp of soldiers' boots at the end of the hallway. They turned to leave, but Brom hissed.

"Damnation! It's not locked." He put his hand against the door. The lock clicked the same time three armed soldiers came into view.

"Hey, get away from that door!" Shouted one of the men. Brom stepped back, assuming a surprised expression. The three men marched up to them. The tallest one demanded,

"Why were you trying to get into the records?" Alexia took an arrow from her quiver.

I'm afraid we lost our way." Jeod replied. A drop of sweat rolled down his neck. The soldier glared at them suspiciously.

"Check inside the room." He ordered one of the men. He stepped up to the door and tried to open it. He pounded on the door several times.

"Sir, it's locked."

"Ar'right then. I don't know what you were up to but as long as the door's locked, I guess you're free to go. Come on." The soldiers surrounded them and arched them back to the keep. At the main gates, one said,

"Now you walk through those and don't try anything. We'll be watching. If you need anything else, wait until morning."

"Of course." Promised Jeod. The moment the gates closed behind them, Eragon jumped in the air. Brom growled.

"Walk back to the house normally, you can celebrate there." Alexia saw no point in celebrating. _I mean, we found the Seithr oil, so what? Why are we even chasing the stupid Ra'zac, they never did anything to me. Weren't we supposed to go to safety? Isn't that why we were dragged out of the cave? Because it wasn't safe? And now, were chasing Ra'zac! What the hell are they?_ She thought about his until Eragon broke her chain of thought inside the house.

"We did it!"

"Yes, but now we have to figure out if it was worth the trouble." Said Brom. Jeod took a map from the shelves and unfurled it on the table. On the left side, the ocean extended to the unknown west. Along the coast stretched the Spine, an immense length of mountains. The Hadarac Desert filled the center of the map. The east end was blank. Somewhere in that void hid the Varden. Alexia vaguely remembered this as their final destination. To the south was Surda, a small country that had seceded from the Empire after the rider's fall. Near Surda's eastern border was a mountain range labeled the Beor Mountains. The map was empty to the east of the Beors. Five islands rested off the coast of Surda: Nía, Parlim, Uden, Illium and Beirland. Farther up, near Teirm was a jagged island called Sharktooth. At the top left-hand corner was another island, immense and shaped like a knobbly hand. It was called Vroengard. In the center was a city named Doru Areaba. Carvahall was a small dot at the top of Palancar Valley. Level with it but across the plains sprawled the forest Du Weldenvarden and, like the Beor Mountains, its eastern end was unmapped. In the center of the Empire lay Urû'baen. From there, King Galbatorix ruled with his black dragon Shruikan. Eragon pointed at Urû'baen.

"The Ra'zac are sure to have a hiding place here."

"You had better hope that that isn't their only sanctuary otherwise you'll never get near them." _Here we go again._

"From what I saw in the records, there have been shipments of Seithr oil to every major city in the Empire over the last five years. As far as I can tell, all of them might have been ordered by wealthy jewelers. I'm not sure how we can narrow the list down without more information." Said Jeod.

"I think we can eliminate some cities. The Ra'zac have to travel wherever the king wants and I'm sure he keeps them busy. If they're expected to go anywhere at anytime, the only reasonable place for them to stay is at a crossroad, where they can reach every part of the country fairly easily." _How can they want to find their enemy? Why can't they live life without traveling? They could have killed the Ra'zac and then g do what they do, be famous and save everyone in danger. But just because I have a dragon, I'm in grave danger._

_I am here you know._

_Oh. Well do you think this is fair? We could be living happily together in the cave and no-one would notice us, but we're in Teirm instead._

_Even if I did think it unfair, we would be able to do nothing._

_Hmph._

"I guess it's decided then, that's where we'll go." The parchment crackled as Jeod rolled up the map and handed it to Brom.

"You'll need this, I'm afraid. Your expeditions often take you into obscure regions." Nodding, Brom accepted the map.

_Er, yeah, do you know where we're going Ayda?_

_Yes, Dras-Leona._

_Right, so we're not going home?_

_Goodnight little one._

_Humph._


End file.
